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Toshiba CS confirms indefinite LCoS delay

4K views 45 replies 15 participants last post by  rogo 
#1 ·
The senior CS rep I have been working with from Toshiba just confirmed for me that there is an indefinite delay of the 2003 LCoS line. No one has any idea at present when the delay will end (thus the "indefinite" part :)).


To confirm the seriousness of this delay, she also asked me to send in my purchase receipt so she could process a refund. :eek:


I am somewhat conflicted about all of this. I love the PQ on this set and haven't been as pleased with anything else I have seen. However, I have definite problems as well that piss me off on a nightly basis AND there is the obvious question of long-term maintainability.


Of course, given the original purchase price of the set, a refund would allow me to purchase whatever other RP technology is available and to my liking. For a less emotionally-attached individual this would be a no brainer....
 
#3 ·
Talk about a roller coaster... Just last night I talked to a person at a local independent TV reseller. He said they were one of the highest volume Toshiba dealers on the west coast. I had actually called to see when they might be getting in the GWIII as another option to see some different sets for comparison purposes. At the end of the conversation I threw in the obligatory question regarding the Toshiba LCoS and he said they had had two of the initial sets earlier this year. He said they had been told there was a delay but just recently within the last week had been told that they should expect the new units in November.... He even confirmed it with another person while I was on the line and said due to their status with Toshiba they should have some of the earliest availability. Elation, depression. Elation, depression. What's a guy to do :D


ron
 
#4 ·
I plan to call in person later this afternoon to get perhaps more information on the exact status. My CS response was based on their finally getting an answer back from elsewhere in Toshiba. I'm not sure why this kind of information wasn't disseminated more quickly. I am also not sure what it means that they are doing a quick jump to the refund option. You might infer that the outlook for these sets is not good. A one or two month delay I could live with.
 
#5 ·
Well I've got a little bit of an inside track on this thread.

Michael (BTDT) forwarded me the exact email conversation

he had with Toshiba. (And incidentally, BTDT, I sent my

response to you, and my note to Toshiba after only reading

that latest bit that you wrote to me. I didn't even realize

that the rest of the conversation was tacked on to the bottom

of that. :rolleyes: .)

Anyway, when I did catch my mistake and read thru the piece

chronologically I was definitely taken aback by that *abrupt*

demand for a copy of your receipt, as though you were no longer

in the loop for making your decision about a refund.
 
#6 ·
Quote:
Originally posted by BTDT
A one or two month delay I could live with.
I think my "breaking point" is more likely to be out at the 6 month mark.

If I got concrete word in March and delivery in April, I'd be content.

I must be a masochist. If there was no concrete word in March, even I

would break down and take the refund. (I'd take it sooner if someone

else had a 1920x1080p bigscreen option for me to spend it on.)
 
#7 ·
Zac,


Yep, that was my reaction. After some slight hinting that I would be concerned with a long delay I get a "It's delayed. Go ahead and send in your receipt" reply. Kind of like a "...It's breaking up! It's breaking up!" message that might indicate a need to pull the ejection cord and bail out....


As you pointed out in your reply that no one here can see :) one dilemma is that there is no other 1080p offering out there today. The other side of that argument, however, is that there really isn't any 1080p material available either. I plan to do some serious browsing this weekend. The 720p fixed pixel sets don't give such a worse picture in general. It tends to be other aspects of the display technology that are the problem. For instance, problems with handling SD inputs, dithering, and the like.


I would have to say my current alternative front runner is DLP technology. This despite my being one of the people who reports dizziness when watching them. (Could I just be an idiot?) The front runner in terms of my heart would be the new 65" Optoma; however, it brings to mind some of the same maintainability concerns we are seeing with the Tosh, and maybe worse. The front runner in terms of my brain is probably the Sammy DLP; although the tabletop design is not exactly what I was looking for.


Any thoughts on this from anyone?


In some respects this may be like having to look for a new girlfriend. The old one was really hot but...hey, look at that one! :D


(Apologies pre-offered for the above politically incorrect analogy.)
 
#10 ·
Quote:
Originally posted by BTDT
In some respects this may be like having to look for a new girlfriend. The old one was really hot but...hey, look at that one! :D
Actually I thought when men have that internal monologue it usually goes,

"The old gf is hot, but hey, look at those two!"


(What wrong with me? Taking a perfectly good LCoS thread and cheapening

it with a boob joke. ... It's the wait; it's making us all crazy.)


LCoS PSYChoSis??
 
#11 ·
Even though my set has dead pixels, blue flares, a brown racetrack, and a shifted picture, its still the best 57" picture still out there in the market for under 20 grand. Toshiba (a great company) gave me the option to exchange the set with the next model in the Cinema Series Line. I thought that it would be the 65HLX83. Maybe it will be an 84 model then? I wouldn't mind a set with better blacks, multi DVI ports or a HDMI port, and better scalar technology. If LCOS never comes back then Toshiba going to have to find a new replacement for the Cinema Series Line. SED or plasma? I don't know, but I have a feeling that the longer Toshiba delays the next model the better the deal for us current 82 owners with exchange guarantees. Personally, I would love the be one the the first owners of a large SED display, if they every get it out the door.


Java Junky


PS: If I knew my set would have all these problems, I would have never bought it. It just I'm too spoiled now to get anything less...those *******s!
 
#12 ·
Quote:
Originally posted by rogo
Take the $$$.
But the problem with taking the money is that

we will no longer have our 57HLX82s to watch

in the meantime, while waiting for the next

great thing. And I still maintain that a Tosh LCoS

operating at 85% is still nicer to watch than the

current DLP options operating at 100%.


Of course your response should be, "Well if

the set's still that great then quit-yer-bitchin'."

And you'd be right.

It's just that we paid a fairly premium price for

these sets and expect peak performance

worthy of the CinemaSeries label that we paid for.
 
#13 ·
I have to agree with rogo's inclination. The only reason *not* to do so is if 1) we reasonably believe that Toshiba will come out with their 2003/4 sets and if we jump to something else we will miss the chance to jump to those sets, and 2) the problems we are seeing are not showstoppers.


javajunky: If the switch is to an alternative technology then you would probably save some cash, as described above, by pulling your money out now and putting less of it back in later to get that new cool technology. Yes, you would have to go without 1080p for awhile. It sounds like you have something closer to my set of problem seriousness. (BTW, I vaguely remember your saying once that you would have to return your set because it wouldn't fit into your girlfriend's apartment. Did you return your girlfriend instead? :))


I am also torn about all of this, but in my case my symptoms are visible enough that my wife is able to easily spot them. The only thing that hasn't gotten me whipped over this was that a replacement set was promised.


Aaaaah!
 
#14 ·
Quote:
Yep, that was my reaction. After some slight hinting that I would be concerned with a long delay I get a "It's delayed. Go ahead and send in your receipt" reply.
Hmmm, here's another possible perspective: Perhaps they are just getting tired of hearing from you when they have no concrete time table to give you. Maybe the CS person just reached their snapping point saying, "Look, we don't know, just send us your receipt and we'll do a refund" just to get you out of their hair? Not to imply that you've become a pest to them or anything but you know how it can be when dealing with CS people sometimes....


ron
 
#15 ·
Just for kicks I called and talked to the reseller I spoke with last night and relayed this news. He verified again that their Toshiba rep had been in their store yesterday morning and she told them that they should be shipping in November. He said they actually talked to her again yesterday afternoon on the phone and she again confirmed it. As usual, take that with as many gains of salt as you'd like. Personally, I think I'd put a little more stock in a Toshiba rep than a CS person. So hey, RUGeekman has been strangely silent lately. Been some time since he's chimed in anything on the issue. Perhaps if he reads this he could check with his Toshiba rep and see if this other Rep is cracked or what? :)


ron
 
#16 ·
Quote:
Originally posted by R11
Hmmm, here's another possible perspective: Perhaps they are just getting tired of hearing from you when they have no concrete time table to give you. Maybe the CS person just reached their snapping point saying, "Look, we don't know, just send us your receipt and we'll do a refund" just to get you out of their hair? Not to imply that you've become a pest to them or anything but you know how it can be when dealing with CS people sometimes....


ron
Not to add any credence to Ron's 'pest' theory, but I just got my

response from Toshiba (the same CS contact with whom BTDT corresponds).

And the wording of the response began identically to the letter

Michael passed me earlier today, so I instantly assumed I was reading

a form letter with a predetermined response. BUT... when I got to the

line that snapped: "Due to this delay, if you would fax me your receipt,

I will make arragements to pick up your LCOS set and process your refund."

on Mike's letter, mine read a little differently...

"Here are the available options at this time. We do have light engines

available so we could repair your 57HLX82. Option two is to refund you and

option three is for you to continue to wait for the new set to become

available."


Apart from that, the letters were very much the same.



I'd like to think being told that waiting is still an option is a sign the LCoS

development hasn't been KILLED just yet.
 
#17 ·
BTDT:

1) My girlfriend moved in and married me instead so I didn't have to choose:>

2) I most likely wouldn't save enough money for the hassle of a refund over an exchange. You have to factor the costs of depreciation on the intermediate display, shipping, wife hagging, and loss of visual enjoyment in your scenario.
 
#18 ·
You call it a refund check... I call it a retirement plan ;)


If some emergency comes up, and I need some liquidity,

I can just call up Tosh and get back the money I paid for set.

Sure beats a pawn shop :D


"Toshiba: A consumer electronics company... Financial Security"


How's that for an investment? They hold onto my money, sure

I'm not making any interest, but I get to watch this cool TV in the

meantime.
 
#19 ·
Quote:
Originally posted by zvogt
"We do have light engines available so we could repair your 57HLX82. Option two is to refund you and option three is for you to continue to wait for the new set to become available."
Very odd indeed. Besides my first inquiry on possible replacement I only sent a followup last week asking what the status of things were, plus asking whether a refund would also be made available to me as it was promised to other members. It is always possible that she read into all of this that I would prefer a refund in the case of a delay.


I would definitely *not* take option 1 since you will just be getting a light box snagged out of a returned set AND will continue to have a set that cannot be maintained for the long term. As to waiting until the new sets come out: If it were in fact a November/December thing this would be something to consider.


I like your concept of using Toshiba as a bank with free high-end television services :). If I go for the refund (and I will likely decide soon) it will work out for me that I will get $1K to $2K back minimum while having a new set using a different technology. All of this plus 6 months of LCoS glory for free!
 
#21 ·
"I'd like to think being told that waiting is still an option is a sign the LCoS

development hasn't been KILLED just yet."


Zac, almost certainly true. However, someone somewhere has a product plan and a spreadsheet and is weighing the pros and cons.


In the meantime, whatever indefinite delay Hitachi told them about may still have a horrible amount of ambiguity. Or there may be a promised delivery date....


Hard to know -- even at Toshiba, I bet.
 
#22 ·
An update:


I spoke to my CS rep yesterday afternoon and she told me that I basically have the same options as Zac, but her impression was that I would prefer a refund. It turns out she was reading these posts on the forum! She also said the delay was not "indefinite" but she had no information when it would end....


I am very conflicted about all of this. After spending last evening watching Survivor and Friends off of the DirecTiVo -- outstanding SD picture even over SVideo -- I am not sure where to turn. My thought right now is to pack up the TiVo and go see how the exact same material looks on some other sets out there. I expect to be disappointed.


(To add to this is my wife's sudden interest in getting back $$ by getting a cheaper set.)


I am looking anxiously at the current batch of Samsung DLP threads talking about returns and problems and people who could never get satisfied with the picture. Errrr.
 
#24 ·
It is probably typical, but she has very little appreciation for a better picture. We were in Sears last night and she told me that pretty much all of the TVs there looked as good as what we have. Of course, they were all showing an HD feed, not SD, and if you got closer than about 10 feet you started to see a bit of a difference, at least in my opinion. Oh well.
 
#25 ·
BTDT -

I'm not trying to convince you do go to DLP or any other technology, but don't look too hard at the threads on the DLP problems. If there were as many LCoS sets out there, you'd probably see just as many posts on its problems (well, maybe not, but you know what I mean). Go hook up your TiVo to a DLP or an RP LCD and see what it's like. Buy from a store with a 15 or 30 day return policy, and see if you can stand it.

I'm happy with my DLP, but that's because I came from a 27" CRT, and HD content is fantastic. My eye may not be as critical as yours. Is the set perfect? No way. I see rainbows (but they're not so bad for me). Every dark scene I see, I wonder how much detail I'm missing because I've read so many posts (although I haven't done many tweaks yet). Scaling and audio sync issues with my Sammy HD931 are annoying (mostly the DVD's fault). I will be getting a new light engine this week, because mine makes more noise than I would expect and the replacement is under warranty. Am I going to return it? No. Despite those issues, the picture is really nice, the TV itself looks nice, I upgraded most of my home theater (DLP, DVD, speakers, receiver) for about the price of a good 50" plasma, and a comparably sized plasma (61") would have cost more than 3 times as much as the DLP (and that always goes over well with the wife).

Good luck.
 
#26 ·
gakon,


It turns out I am leaving in a few minutes to do just what you suggest! I am taking the TiVo on a grand tour to see how stuff I just watched on the Tosh LCoS looks on other sets.


Incidentally, while you don't see a lot of LCoS threads that is because there are very few LCoS sets. I don't know anyone who hasn't gone through a couple of replacement sets or has problems that have them awaiting replacement or refund. The very nice thing about the more-mainstream DLP offerings is that they are in fact mainstream: no worries about parts, maintainability, etc.


I have been looking at a lot of the DLP problem threads and also viewing several sets over the past couple of weeks. They seem to be looking better and better to me for some reason.


Thanks for the advice!
 
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